our ceiling is 11 foot. we did tall cabinets topped with smaller glass ones. they go to the ceiling. (11 years ago) I found that the top cabs looked best when back lit and as displays. they were really too high to be useful. they did give a small and rather unremarkable kitchen a stylish lift.

I would do tall cabinets, to the ceiling. We have 9 ft ceilings and the cabinets are normal size and I don't like it. It collects dust and it doesn't look better..on the contrary. It's a personal preference.I suggest you look at photos that have both styles and see which one you prefer.

Our designer thought that the glass cabinets stacked on top would look too squashed (my term) and too busy. If we had 8ft ceilings I would definitely do one tall cabinet. And if I had 11 or 12 ft, I would def do two cabinets stacked. Just cannot decide since it is 9ft.

I agree with crisko 1's comment. Having them back lit is important and will add depth and style. As far as practicality is concerned, I would only store items you hardly ever use as it will be harder to access them. The style to the ceiling does however tie things together nicely. To add some horizontal visual weight in order to counter balance the exaggerated height issue, I would suggest to break some of the cabinetry door fronts up into two rather than one large very long rectangle ( namely the 51" long ones). You will still achieve the sleek look without the odd visual to it by adding a few horizontal lines. Enjoy your kitchen soon.

Maggie, Luxe Lion Designs

Here are some photos tat might be helpful

Some cabinets. up to ceiling and some not as high and not as deep with crown on top, the shorter ones act as a shelf and put some lights up there to highlight is nice and popular look

our ceilings are 9', we had a small chase we couldnt get rid of. so we did 39" cabinets with a door style reminiscent of stacked cabinets without the extra expense.

I'm with going with regular height plus the fifteen inch high above the main cabs as Sativa Jaeger Designs suggests. This will cost more if you have glass in them, however the center panels can be cut out & you can install the glass yourself if you are a good diyer.

If you are not brave enough to do that, order them with glass & be sure to install LEDs in them as well as LED under cabinet lighting. You will not be sorry. If you have some lovely handpainted china & some colorful mixing bowls, you will be the envied by your whole neighborhood.

When I said glass in them I meant only in the upper ones. A crown will top everything off perfectly.

Have your designer do elevation drawings of each wall both ways & then you can tell how it will look. You could even have some of the top ones w/o glass to store seldom used large pieces.

We think your interior designer is giving you some really good advice! As the "after" picture from a recent remodel shows, leaving room at the top of the cabinet to run the ceiling moulding around really enhances the overall appearance. Also, be sure to pair your upper cabinets so that they don't close into a stile - cabinet stiles really inhibit storage use. And while we're at it, make the upper cabinets 14" deep so all (not most!) plates will fit! Good luck, and have fun!

Tall doors warp easier. How tall are you or anyone that will always be in the kitchen with you? Are you providing storage space in your kitchen for a ladder? If you don't take the cabinets to the ceiling, what will you put there?

Just to clarify- the cabinets will go all the way to the ceiling regardless. Kitchen designer wants single cabinet and I am leaning toward stacked- at least some stacked. I had not thought about faux stacked cabinet. It worries me that some say the doors warp or that it wouldn't be covered under warranty! I am just worried that a solid wall of very tall single upper cabinets will look too austere. Thank you all so much for your comments! I have some things to think about!!

Hi! I've had a design firm for 30 years and have done a lot of kitchens. I think you ABSOLUTELY should run the cabinetry to the ceiling. It is just a matter of whether you want to put the extra dollars in to having a separate, back lit cabinet at the top. It is likely to cost more and then you have to find a "set" of something to put in each cabinet. I show all my clients their kitchens in 3d. I wonder if your designer could do this???? Then you could get a much better idea of what it would feel like to be in your kitchen with tall cabinets. Here is just an example of what I did for a recent client:

I love the idea of a 3D rendering. I will certainly ask! As a designer, do you prefer the look of stacked or single? I know it is just a taste preference, but I am assuming you have great taste!

I think that tall cabinets make the kitchen look really classy, and they provide really useful storage. A row of glass-fronted cabinets is cute, but basically decorative (and light) only. I think you can get to a 9-foot ceiling with 42" cabinets, which is hardly towering. What makes your rendering look heavy is that it's a huge expanse of unchanging doors -- if you stick in a couple of (frosted) glass cabinets down there, or break it up some other way (open shelves, or a wine rack, say) it won't look so dull. Honestly, I don't understand all the worries about doors. 42" is not a towering effect!

They feel high, but just to the degree that you need a footstool to reach the less frequently used stuff on the top shelf. Not looming tower high!

duh, i just measured mine....they are 42" not 39 as i said earlier.

i think the glass fronts look pretty and the lights are nice but they are expensive and they are totally unusable space unless you already have a collection of x. the idea of buying glass front boxes and then buying something to put in them offends my yankee (puritan?) sensibilites, LOL.

@acm- From my understanding from the rendering, the cabinets are 51" not 42... But yes, I agree that it is the lack of variation that may be bothering me.

@nngirt- your kitchen is beautiful. I agree with the the glass cabinet- it is kind of like a bookshelf or open shelves- it is more decorative than functional most of the time, at least for me.

Depending on how custom the shop is: you can have them build the upper interiors with a white melamine rather than doing a painted white interior. This will save tons of money and produce the exact same results.

Shannon, what did you decide?

This "dilemma" is dated two years ago!
Did Houzz get a deal on old Dilemmas?

Shannon, what did you decide? I would love to see. I am facing the exact same dilemma, We are redoing our kitchen. White cabinets. Dark (ish) floor. Quartz countertop (Statuario Nuvo Caesarstone). I hope you read this comment, I'd love to see what you did!! :)

Would also love to hear/see final decision. Making same decision myself currently.

Ditto! I am facing this same dilemma. It can be an expensive mistake either way. My concern is that I have 10ft ceilings.